Olives

[WOM]

I absolutely hated olives until my first brother-in-law's stag do. Food was 'supposed' to be there at 6, but actually wasn't scheduled to arrive until 8. The only thing in sight...whilst drinking and playing poker, I might add...was a big bowl of olives. I think I had 25 or so before whatever-the-fuck arrived for dinner. After that trial-by-fire, I loved 'em.

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

That's hilarious, I can just imagine the locals assuring old Columbus. "Oh, yeah, sure there's a way to the Indies just over the horizon now, don't you worry your head about that Chrissy boy. Here, have another pint and set sail tomorrow."

The thing is that if you look out to sea in certain conditions, atmospheric figaries make it look a lot like there is a large continent out there. It's called Hy Brassil I've seen this phenomenon, and it looks a lot like the days when you can see wales from the east coast of Ireland.

[Ginger Yellow]

If you sat me down with a giant jar of olives on one side and a giant bag of pisatchios on the other side, I'd quite happily eat both until my stomach burst.

[Various Artist]

The thing is that if you look out to sea in certain conditions, atmospheric figaries make it look a lot like there is a large continent out there. It's called Hy Brassil I've seen this phenomenon, and it looks a lot like the days when you can see wales from the east coast of Ireland.

That's weird, I've genuinely never heard of that before. It sounds a bit like the mythical lost land that supposedly existed if you were looking the opposite direction from Wales towards Ireland, Cantre'r Gwaelod, but that's more of an Atlantis of Cardigan Bay than a phantom land sighting.

[Toby Gymshorts]

If you sat me down with a giant jar of olives on one side and a giant bag of pisatchios on the other side, I'd quite happily eat both until my stomach burst.

Yep, that.

[Various Artist]

If you sat me down with a giant jar of olives on one side and a giant bag of pisatchios on the other side, I'd quite happily eat both until my stomach burst.

Pistachios are something else I've recently come around to, thanks to a particular friend introducing them to me quite recently. The nice thing about them is that by having to pause to shell each one, you feel like you've 'earned' the contents. Since this also enforces a more leisurely consumption rate, I find it's actually easier to work one's way through a rather considerable quantity without feeling sick.

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

The craziest bit about that wikipedia entry is this.

On maps the island was shown as being circular, often with a central strait or river running east-west across its diameter. Despite the failure of attempts to find it, this appeared regularly on maps lying south west of Galway Bay until 1865, by which time it was called Brasil Rock.

By 1865, we knew better I would have thought.

[Toby Gymshorts]

it was called Brasil Rock

Dance your cares away...

[Bored Of Education]

The thing is that if you look out to sea in certain conditions, atmospheric figaries make it look a lot like there is a large continent out there. It's called Hy Brassil I've seen this phenomenon, and it looks a lot like the days when you can see wales from the east coast of Ireland.

That's weird, we are playing a club called Hy-Brasil in Bristol in December but I assumed that was something to do with, you know, your actual Brazil. Actually, I bet the club owners think that as well.

Anyway, black olives are for cooking especially on a pizza with mushrooms (the only topping really). Actually, in a tapenade as well. Green olives for just eating especially stuffed with garlic and dressed in herbs. I haven't tried them stuffed with anchovies but that sounds fantastic. Not a great fan of Kalamata ones but have found some on occasion that are lovely.

Feta cheese is fabulous. It is lovely in a soup with potatoes, onions, black olives and rosemary. It is gorgeous paired with beetroot. It is also lovely with watermelon and pine nuts (and, apparently, with black olives, to bring us back full circle).

[WOM]

That's weird, I've genuinely never heard of that before. It sounds a bit like the mythical lost land that supposedly existed if you were looking the opposite direction from Wales towards Ireland, Cantre'r Gwaelod, but that's more of an Atlantis of Cardigan Bay than a phantom land sighting.

I've also read about some weird atmospheric thing where places that are well-to-fuck away across a body of water look like there's only offshore by a few miles. Something to do with heat and/or humidity bending light around the curvature of the earth. There's some place Asia / Southeast Asia where it happens and they describe it as a 'floating city' effect because you can see buildings as if they're floating on the horizon.

[Fata Morgana is what the effect is called, apparently]

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

There's a large rock off the coast of Carna called na Sceirde. when it's high pressure it looks about 30 miles away. In low pressure it looks like you could swim out to it. It's about 10 miles out apparently. If you didn't know about atmospheric pressure, you'd be convinced the fucking thing moved.